I don't know what to do. With petty gems, I still can craft no better than 1% magicka reduction on destruction spells, or no more than 3% fire resist with a common soul gem. At level 36, there is no difference between 1/5 and 2/5 "Enchanter" perk.

Does enchanting ever become better than the items that I find?

Yes it does

Just keep levelling it and putting perks in.
At level 100 it can do some really awesome stuff.

Use need to use bigger souls

i.e. Grand SoulsIn terms of magnitude. The highest level items sold are about the same as if you had maxed out enchanting; but you get to use two enchantments instead of one.

You'll also want to get or make potions which increase enchanting to really create good stuff.

Don't use Petty gems.

Your enchantments get stronger when you use higher level souls, and the perks add a total of 300% higher enchanting with just that first part, as you progress it. 20+40+60+80+100. And the highest perk with enchant allows you to have 2 enchantments on one item, so you could essentially have 600% higher enchantments. Just keep leveling it up.

I'm 80 something enchant. By the time I reach 100, it will be meaningless- you won't use it any longer. You will hit the fat part of enchantment, and along with the potions increasing the same, do very well. Though, my best bow is something like 32 fire damage and there are over the counter bows with 30.....Smithing gets better results, but you have to choose light or heavy and that eliminates many fine weapons.

You don't have to choose Light or Heavy, you can do both.

It starts getting good at 60 skill with 4/5 and insightful enchanter; you can make 20% reduction gear with a grand soul.

Well, I'm not sure if I want to stack Enchanting perks before or after I beef up my alteration and conjuration trees. If I could continue to level well without the perks (since you do it outside of combat, creating items that would be sold should still level enchanting, right?), I would sooner get mage armor and atronach.

Petty gems are best used as money makers. Pop an Absorb enchant with petty gem on an iron dagger and they go from 10g to about 600g; sell for about 200-250 on average with no speech perks. But for your own gear you need to use bigger gems; probably the Star.

Stick with it. Eventually enchanting becomes so ridiculous that any special item you find is obsolete compared to what you could enchant yourself. I'm not sure if enchanting needs to be reigned in or unique items need to be better.

Unless your enchanting boots with muffle. Don't waste better gems on that.

Petty gems also usefull to charge staffs.
By the ways, what do I do with all the pieces of shattered soul gems in my inventory? Are they usefull?
Also, what do I do with the unidentified jewelry/gem? I have three in my inventory which I have looted but have no idea what they are used for.